git-sparse-checkout(1)
======================

NAME
----
git-sparse-checkout - Initialize and modify the sparse-checkout
configuration, which reduces the checkout to a set of paths
given by a list of atterns.


SYNOPSIS
--------
[verse]
'git sparse-checkout <subcommand> [options]'


DESCRIPTION
-----------

Initialize and modify the sparse-checkout configuration, which reduces
the checkout to a set of paths given by a list of patterns.

THIS COMMAND IS EXPERIMENTAL. ITS BEHAVIOR, AND THE BEHAVIOR OF OTHER
COMMANDS IN THE PRESENCE OF SPARSE-CHECKOUTS, WILL LIKELY CHANGE IN
THE FUTURE.


COMMANDS
--------
'list'::
	Provide a list of the contents in the sparse-checkout file.

'init'::
	Enable the `core.sparseCheckout` setting. If the
	sparse-checkout file does not exist, then populate it with
	patterns that match every file in the root directory and
	no other directories, then will remove all directories tracked
	by Git. Add patterns to the sparse-checkout file to
	repopulate the working directory.
+
To avoid interfering with other worktrees, it first enables the
`extensions.worktreeConfig` setting and makes sure to set the
`core.sparseCheckout` setting in the worktree-specific config file.

'set'::
	Write a set of patterns to the sparse-checkout file, as given as
	a list of arguments following the 'set' subcommand. Update the
	working directory to match the new patterns. Enable the
	core.sparseCheckout config setting if it is not already enabled.
+
When the `--stdin` option is provided, the patterns are read from
standard in as a newline-delimited list instead of from the arguments.

'disable'::
	Remove the sparse-checkout file, set `core.sparseCheckout` to
	`false`, and restore the working directory to include all files.

SPARSE CHECKOUT
---------------

"Sparse checkout" allows populating the working directory sparsely.
It uses the skip-worktree bit (see linkgit:git-update-index[1]) to tell
Git whether a file in the working directory is worth looking at. If
the skip-worktree bit is set, then the file is ignored in the working
directory. Git will not populate the contents of those files, which
makes a sparse checkout helpful when working in a repository with many
files, but only a few are important to the current user.

The `$GIT_DIR/info/sparse-checkout` file is used to define the
skip-worktree reference bitmap. When Git updates the working
directory, it updates the skip-worktree bits in the index based
on this file. The files matching the patterns in the file will
appear in the working directory, and the rest will not.

To enable the sparse-checkout feature, run `git sparse-checkout init` to
initialize a simple sparse-checkout file and enable the `core.sparseCheckout`
config setting. Then, run `git sparse-checkout set` to modify the patterns in
the sparse-checkout file.

To repopulate the working directory with all files, use the
`git sparse-checkout disable` command.

## FULL PATTERN SET

By default, the sparse-checkout file uses the same syntax as `.gitignore`
files.

While `$GIT_DIR/info/sparse-checkout` is usually used to specify what
files are included, you can also specify what files are _not_ included,
using negative patterns. For example, to remove the file `unwanted`:

----------------
/*
!unwanted
----------------


SEE ALSO
--------

linkgit:git-read-tree[1]
linkgit:gitignore[5]

GIT
---
Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite